Easy Virtue

Noel Coward had written his play Easy Virtue at a time when social class and family ties meant everything. The circumstances of which could easily make or break someone. This was not fully conceptualized in Director Stephan Elliott's film adaptation. While it most certainly did scratch the surface of the generic issues surrounding marriage, it failed to communicate the actual severity of John Whittaker's, played by Ben Barnes, hasty decision to wed a woman he barely knew, from an entirely different culture, and of no known societal background. Coward intended "to compare the déclassée woman of today with the more flamboyant demimondaine of the 1890's" through a comedic melodrama. And while the film did have it's humorous moments, overall it did not really seem to be much of a social drama, until the very end. By the time the story climaxed, it had become an entirely different kind film. One about life's hardships and love's turmoil, that not even the big band jazz accompaniment could disguise as a "happy ending". The story itself is very cliché. Boy marries girl against his parents’ wishes and they are forced to cope with their new familial tie. So while the play may have laid way for certain liberations in the 1920's, the story on its own does not hold the same social bearings for people of today, particularly women. Many other feminist themed films, such as Jane Austen's "Sense & Sensibility" or Edith Wharton’s "The Age of Innocence", made successful adaptations onto the Big Screen because of how the characters were able to appeal to the general audience through themes everyone could identify with, regardless of what era it was set in. This was just not the case with Easy Virtue.

Jessica Biel as Larita Whittaker

The characters all were, for the most part, quite predictable and often out right boring. Even the heroine Larita Whittaker, played by Jessica Biel, seemed to lack a resounding admirability for a central character. While most people might be able to empathize with a new bride having to deal with her new in-laws, Larita herself did not capture the audience's affinity, despite her physically genial appearance. She seemed very proud of herself and her accomplishments, which was rooted in more than her just being an American. Biel did not create a character that we could feel for, until almost the very end of the film when she is faced with the decision as to whether to stay with her husband or not, and by then the point is mute. Despite having almost the entire Whittaker family against her, Larita did not seem to be someone we easily had compassion for. Such a trait is essential for any underdog heroine.

Colin Firth as Colonel Jim Whittaker

Kristen Scott Thomas and Colin Firth, as Mrs. Veronica Whittaker and Colonel Jim Whittaker, both add very little to the film's charisma. Veronica is as predictable as the sun rising and Scott Thomas reprises her role as a traditional English wife, yet again. Firth's character has little presence in the film except as Larita's only confidant in the Whittaker family. This twisted relationship between Larita and her new father-in-law could have been a key plot point in the film, but instead it is backhoused to the obvious conflict between Larita and Veronica. Colonel Whittaker's relationship with his wife also could have been better elaborated upon; as a result, we hardly understand the resentful demeanor between them and are left to make assumptions that they are just unhappily married.

Charlotte Riley as Sarah Hurst

Not all the characters however were so concealing and acrimonious. Charlotte Riley's character Sarah Hurst, John's childhood sweetheart who was always expected by their parents to wed, is probably the only character that presents outright decency and true propriety. Although Sarah is likely disappointed by the news of John's marriage, she does not bear any resentment towards him or Larita and openly accepts her upon their arrival. There is a very smart scene where Sarah and John are talking about how he came to marry Larita. His explanation honors the idea that marriage should be founded on virtues beyond expectations and societal circumstance. It renews the audience's idealism that love does conquer all, even if only for a moment. And in the end, even Larita recognizes this appreciation for love, found in Sarah.

Colin Firth & Jessica Biel

Although the musical choices seemed somewhat inconsistent with the play's original themes, the jazz molded soundtrack greatly added to the film's overall presence and composure. Such songs as "Mad About the Boy," "You're the Top," "You Do Something to Me," and "Let's Misbehave" each brought about a better understanding for each particular scene they were used in. I had fond flashbacks to Jeremy Northam in Gosford Park, especially the scenes where Biel is singing herself. Many of the camera angles that director Stephan Elliot incorporated into the movie were down right brilliant; including an inverted shot of a spinning record, a wonderful mélange of tapestry on a pillow transitioning to the yardage where Larita is trying to burry an early mistake, and the basic use of horizontal camera angels which created a nontraditional sense of perception. I have to commend the editor Sue Blainey for her spectacular work for these scenes and many others. The scenes themselves seemed to sail into the next. So despite the story line having flawed transitions, the film itself did not.

Director Stephan Elliott on set.

This particular adaptation of Noel Coward's play did not transition onto the big screen well. Despite Stephan Elliott's genius craftsmanship as the director, the movie itself fell short of my expectations for such a period piece about societal circumstance and restraints on love. I was left feeling like I hadn't fully understood the characters and as a result, couldn't appreciate their circumstances for what they were. I don't entirely blame the screenwriters for these shortcomings, but I feel that had I of cared more about the Whittakers themselves, I would have appreciated the film beyond just its technical aspects.

Rating: ★ ★ 1/2
Bottom Line: A mediocre screen realization whose only true highlights are the musical score and costumes.